Jump Ship
by Nikkette
Summary: Modern AU. Because the last thing he wanted was to be stuck with Johanna freaking Mason on a boat for two weeks. Galehanna/GalexJohanna. Humorous and chaotic.
1. Vacation? Not So Much

**A/N: Hey! Sorry I took so long in getting this up and running, I had to think reaaally hard about how I was gonna start this off and make it work. But anyway, please enjoy. I know it might not seem like it from this chapter, but I assure you, Johanna and Gale WILL end up together. It's just going to take some time...and a _boat_-load of ridiculously hilarious mishaps, pun intended ;)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.**

* * *

Chapter one: Vacation? Not So Much~

* * *

Let's go on a _cruise,_ they said.

It'll be _fun, _they said.

Yeah, right.

Gale huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms as he moped in his plush leather chair and stared at the delectable food in front of him.

After complaining about stress at work, Gale's parents suggested they go on vacation. It didn't really matter where, just so long as they were together and away from their problems. A way to relax for a couple of weeks, they'd said. Not really taking them seriously, Gale agreed, waving it off as wishful thinking.

So imagine his surprise when he came home from work one day and his family announced they were going on a cruise, and his best friend Katniss was even going with them. Gale tried to hide it but he was just as excited as everyone else - Rory, Vick and Posy included - and if he were nine years younger, he'd probably be jumping on the beds packing his suitcase with the rest of them.

But anyway, that's not really the point.

The point is that usually when something falls into your lap that's too good to be true, it's _too good to be true_.

Such is the case with Gale Hawthorne, whose life was practically the _epitome_ of this phrase.

What's that? You're not sure how a family getaway _dream_ cruise can go so terribly wrong?

Then allow him to take you back to a time when things were simpler.

Easier.

_Happier._

A time he liked to call...

Earlier that same day.

* * *

_Gale and his family boarded the cruise ship, arms packed full with suitcases and toys and carry-on bags._

_They were all wearing those stereotypical cliche straw hats and Hawaiian shirts that people usually wear on vacations (his parents insisted, and there was really no point in fighting it) and were just about to go find their rooms when _it_ happened._

_Gale did a double-take as he caught a glimpse of black, a streak of red._

No, _he thought._ It couldn't be.

_The crowd around them parted and his worst fears were confirmed._

_Johanna Mason, his coworker and most _hated_ colleague, was boarding the same ship as they were._

_She spotted him almost immediately, face mirroring the shocked and horrified expression of his own._

"_You!" He said accusingly._

"You!" _She shot back._

"Him!" _He exclaimed, recognizing the man with her to be one Finnick Odair, womanizer and slacker extraordinaire._

"Her!" _She shrieked, noticing Katniss_.

"Them!" _Katniss, Rory, Posy and Vick exclaimed, glaring accusingly at Johanna and Finnick._

_Gale's parents stepped ahead to see what was going on._

"_Who's this?" Hazelle asked, smiling ignorantly._

_Gale glared daggers at Johanna but hid his malice from his mother._

"_You guys remember Johanna, right?" He smiled tightly, ushering his family and best friend forward to meet her._

"_Oh," Hazelle said cheerily, holding out a hand to shake. __"Y__ou work with Gale at the factory, right?"_

_Johanna gave her a fake but convincing smile. __"Y__ep. That's me."_

_She proceeded to shake everyone else's hand, ignoring Gale and stopping when she got to Katniss._

"_We've already met," she smiled icily, withdrawing her hand even though Katniss had never offered one to begin with._

_Awkward..._

"_Right, well," Gale's father said, clapping his hands together. __"W__e're about to check into our rooms and go eat lunch. Johanna, would you and your friend care to join us?"  
_

_Gale's eyes snapped to his father. No. No no no no no no NO._

_"Sure. I'd love to spend some more time with you guys."_

_Damn._

* * *

And so, that leads us to now.

Gale shifted in his chair, trying his best to appreciate their fancy dining arrangements and gourmet food instead of focusing on _un-_focusing his attention on the way Finnick kept coming on to his best friend sitting beside him or the annoying woman chatting happily across the table, her sickly sweet voice grating on his ears.

"So how have you been faring, Johanna?" He heard his mother asked. "We haven't heard a peep out of you since..."

Sighing, he tuned them out, choosing instead to admire the furnishings and decorations of the meal deck.

The entire room looked as though it were done by professionals (which it probably was) and he half-expected to be caught in the middle of a romantic comedy shoot.

Every table had intricately woven cloth covers and unlit candles in the center, the chairs were soft and plush, the drapes that were currently drawn back so you could get a good view of the ocean were richly colored, rows of chandeliers worth more than his _house_ hung high above their heads, almost_ everything_ was a shade of red and gold, and the atmosphere was so lovey-dovey he could _puke_.

Clearing his throat, Gale stabbed a fork at his food and took a bite. He wasn't quite sure what they were having, but it looked great and tasted even better, so he wasn't going to complain.

Growing bored, he idly tuned back into the conversation Johanna and his mom were having.

"So are you and Gale friends?"

"You might say that."

"Really? Gale never mentioned you. Though I suppose boys wouldn't want to talk about their girlfriends with their mothers anyway-"

Hazelle's sentence was halted as Gale's food got caught in his throat. He heaved desperately, trying to cough it back up, though he could _hardly_ care that he was making a scene if it meant his mother would_ stop_ talking about that topic _right now_.

Lucky for him when his air supply was dwindling and tears began coming to his eyes, Katniss sprang into action. Tossing her napkin down onto her plate, the brunette got out of her seat beside Finnick and brought her fist down onto Gale's back, _hard._

The dastardly chunk of food came right back up to his mouth where it was supposed to be, and the onlooking members surrounding the table breathed a sigh of relief - Johanna_ not_ included.

Nodding his thanks to Katniss, he wiped his eyes and went back to his food.

_Him _and_ Johanna_...The very _idea_ was laughable. If it weren't so disgusting, that is.

The table-talk went on and, thankfully, the topic of the two of them being an item was never brought up again.

And just like that, he was stuck.

With his family, his best friend, _Finnick_, and Johanna. Freaking. Mason.

* * *

**A/N: So that's what I got, I hope it was okay for a first chapter D:  
**

**I don't show _knit _about cruises, so I'm gonna have to do some research before I post the next one. I wasn't originally going to have Katniss come along, but I figured that it would add to the drama and chaos, as well as the humor aspect of the story. Besides, maybe she can get with Finnick or something...er, unless you don't approve, Sasha. I dunno yet.  
**

**Sasha, I can only hope that this fanfic turns out to be everything you hoped for and more. It's written for you, after all, so if you have any suggestions for future scenes or mishaps between these two, I'm all ears ;) Oh, and your review for the last chapter of 'Family What, Now?' didn't come through quite right. I think that this website prevents people from sharing emails the regular way with the 'at' symbol or something, i.e, **Blahblah12**'at'**gmail**dot**com**. I do so wish you would get an account, though. We could pm each other all day! lol XD  
**

**Anyway, reviews are welcome, as well as constructive criticism and all that stuff.**

**'Til next time!**


	2. Day One

**A/N: 10/06/2014 I deeply apologize for not updating sooner. **

**I haven't updated for a number of reasons, the main one being that I've typed this story up on a laptop, which isn't always available. Secondly, even though I could update using my Kindle, I really don't like typing on such a tiny little screen and burning my eyeballs out of their _sockets_ (which is what I've been doing just so I can update my other fanfics) so I apologize. **

**Anyway, I did some research on cruises. There's this really cool cruise site I came across called Carnival, and after browsing through the endless list of things you can do on a cruise, it left me wanting to go on one. Really. Bad. But, I'll settle for writing about it for now.**

**I'll try and update this more often, but we'll see :)**

**Note: A stateroom is basically a hotel room, but in cruise terms.**

**Recommended listening (especially after the second line break): Double Vision by 3OH!3. It's got a very 'beachy' vibe.**

**Reading time: about 20 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.**

* * *

Chapter two: Day One~

* * *

**1\. Wake-Up Call**

Gale awoke with a sigh.

He stared up at the ceiling, blinking slowly as he cleared his vision. Even the _ceilings_ here were ridiculously expensive-looking. He began to sigh again, only to have it replaced with a groan as he remembered the events of the day before, of _Johanna_. Knitting his eyebrows, he grumbled to himself and placed his arm over his eyes, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep.

...He wondered if-

"OOF!"

Gale exhaled sharply as the air was knocked out of him by his little brother, who was so excited to start the day that he'd barged into his stateroom and pounced onto his bed.

"Get up, Gale, it's time for breakfast!" Rory said excitedly, even as his older brother rolled off the bed gasping for air.

"What time is it?" A new voice asked.

The two Hawthorne brothers looked over to the other bed, finding Katniss standing sleepily in her pajamas, yawning as she rubbed her eyes.

"Time to _get up_," Rory said smartly, and she scoffed at him.

Finally regaining his breath, Gale reached up and yanked his little brother down with him onto the floor, and proceeded to give him a noogie.

"Time for _you_ to _shut up_," he said, trying to cover his embarrassment at having just been humiliated in front of his best friend.

"_Okay_, okay! Fine! Just be down in a minute," Rory whined, and Gale released him.

He quickly scampered out of the room as quickly as he came, and Gale sighed as Katniss chuckled.

"I _wonder_ where he _gets_ it?" she asked in mock wonderment, giving her friend a pointed look.

"Shut up..." he grumbled, smiling as he untangled himself from his sheets.

* * *

**2\. Admirers**

As it turned out, the breakfast deck was harder to find than he'd thought.

Gale and Katniss walked around for quite some time after getting dressed and leaving their room, and he had almost wished he'd followed Rory as soon as he had gone...almost. Finally giving in, they flagged down a room service attendant and asked for directions, and within minutes, they were in the dining area. They spotted Gale's family and began making their way over, only to stop when they realized who they were with – _Johanna_.

Katniss walked ahead, stopping when she realized her friend wasn't following.

"You coming?" She asked, a hint of humor in her tone.

Gale stood in his place. "_Hell_ no."

Her eyebrows lifted. "Are you serious?"

He scowled. "Hell _yeah_, I am! I'm not eating with _her!_"

She crossed her arms, smirking.

…

…

…

"...Alright, _fine_," he relented, stalking over to her as she began walking again. "But I am _not_ sitting next to her."

She laughed and they kept their pace, coming closer and closer to their table. Suddenly, Katniss' smirk died, and she moved to duck behind an unoccupied table, braid whipping Gale in the face as she did so.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her. "...What are you doing?"

"_Shh!_" She hissed, urging him to be quiet.

Gale looked up, seeing one Finnick Odair seating himself next to his mother, Hazelle, hands full with plates of delectable breakfast items.

A smirk slowly rose to his lips. "Ohhh, _I_ see. You've got an admirer."

"_Shut up,_" she hissed, face burning in humiliation.

Gale and Katniss weren't into romance. They were best friends and they shared everything together, but not 'feelings' or 'love' or anything mushy like that. So needless to say, it was downright embarrassing when either of them was hit on or pursued when they were out in public together. However, it didn't mean one wouldn't enjoy the other's torment while it lasted.

"Get up," Gale chuckled, grabbing hold of her arm and dragging her up.

"What are you _doing?!_" She whispered, panicked as he proceeded to manhandle her over to their table.

"If I'm going, down, _you're_ going with me," he said firmly, though he was laughing on the inside.

Finnick's face lit up as he noticed their arrival (well, Katniss') and Gale couldn't help poking fun at his friend's helpless situtation.

"Someone's got a boyfriend," he whispered in sing-song, and he could swear her hair began to stand on end like an upset cat's. "And by the way, I'm not sitting next to him."

"I'm gonna_ get_ you for this..." she said under her breath, and Gale chuckled silently.

The braided brunette plastered on her fake smile as Finnick pulled out her chair, which _happened_ to be right next to his, and Gale sat happily between his brother and sister. Vick and Posy giggled quietly at the sight of Katniss and the bronze-haired man, and Gale's father had to give them stern looks before they would be silent, though Gale could tell he was laughing quite a bit himself.

Maybe this vacation wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

**3\. WaterWorks**

After a _scathingly_ civil breakfast, Gale took Rory and Vick out on deck to go check out what there was to do.

Finnick had whisked Katniss away at the first chance he got, and Gale, being the bad best friend that he was, let him. It wasn't like he was going to _torture_ her or anything, so he really didn't see the harm. Katniss, though, he knew, wouldn't quite think of it that way. When they saw each other again, he was sure she'd have a bone to pick. Or a limb. Or an eye. Or heck, maybe she'd just throw him overboard. He'd deal with it when the time came.

Gale looked around, eyes squinting in the sun.

There was a lot of stuff to do, more so than he would have expected on a cruise. Let's see...they could get smoothies! Although they just ate. Hm...they could go check out the mini-golf course! Although he wasn't really in the mood for that...oh! What about the-

"Water park!" Rory yelled, cutting off his train of thought.

Gale looked over in the direction his little brother was pointing, placing a hand over his eyes to shield himself from the sun.

"You mean WaterWorks?" He asked, to which Rory waved him off.

"_Whatever_. C'mon, let's just go!"

Without so much as a word, the two young Hawthornes grabbed hold of Gale's hands and dragged him over to the water slides. Which he didn't mind. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, and really; who would complain about going to a _water park?_ I mean_ really?_ That, and the fact that Johanna would have trouble finding him if he was busy spending his time inside a giant plastic tube with rushing water for the whole day. That helped, too.

They walked over and checked it out for all of two seconds before rushing back to their staterooms to change into their swimming trunks.

* * *

**4\. Worn Out**

WaterWorks turned out to be a very time-consuming activity.

After Splashing, swimming, sliding, tubing, and a good six hours later, Gale and his brothers were starting to feel a little beat.

"Man, I don't think I can go on any longer," Rory said as they lounged on the beach chairs and dried themselves off.

"Yeah, me either," Vick concurred.

"I'm _tired_..." Posy whined.

Gale sighed, looking at his siblings with pity as he took in their worn out states. In a way, it was kind of nice. Now that they were all beat, they'd be out of the way, and he could go do whatever he wanted. Provided he could still stand, of course. His feet ached like Hell, and though all he really wanted to do was rest, he wasn't about to squander any chance at being able to go off on his own.

Gathering their things, Gale attempted to cheer them up. "Well, I've got $20 in my pocket. Who's up for ice cream?"

That got their attention.

"Double chocolate chip?" Rory asked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Alright, I'm in."

And just like that, the three younger Hawthorne siblings bounded off their chairs with a new found energy, and Gale could only roll off his chair and follow less enthusiastically behind.

* * *

**5\. Ice Cream**

"That ice cream stand wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be," Posy mused as she licked away at her cookie dough cone.

"Psh. I should _hope_ so. We only paid a few months worth of_ house_ payments for this trip," Gale grumbled, annoyed at no longer having any money in his pockets.

"It was only twenty bucks," Rory said indifferently, munching away at his vanilla cone.

"Yeah, whatever...look, can you guys find your rooms okay? I wanna check out the rest of the ship," Gale said, tossing the remnants of his empty cone into the trash can beside their table.

"Sure," Rory said. "If you wanna have mom and dad on your back about it."

Oh.

Right.

"Well, I'll drop you off at one of the other attractions here and come by later to pick you up. How's that?"

"_Where?_" Vick asked.

Gale hesitated. He hadn't gotten that far yet. "Uh..."

"I wanna go to Story Time!" Posy demanded, and Gale found his exit.

"Yeah! Story Time! It's already 7 o'clock, and it starts at 7:30. If we hurry, we can make it."

The two younger boys groaned. "_Story Time?_ That sounds _lame_..."

Gale glared at them.

"Er, but not as lame as half the other stuff on this over-sized boat! Haha!"

Having decided what to do, they wiped off their sticky hands and threw away their trash. Gale picked up their beach bag, jam packed with towels and sunscreen and toys, and led the way to Story Time.

Even though he had no idea where that was.

* * *

**6\. Story Time**

"Hello!" A soft, quiet voice greeted.

Gale smiled at the blonde woman before him, all too happy that he was about to get his siblings off his hands. She was pretty, with soft features and gentle demeanor, but wasn't really his type. He moved to shake her hand.

"Hi," he greeted back. "Is this where we go for Story Time?"

The woman nodded, curls bouncing slightly with the movement. "Mhm."

"Great, well here they are, haha..."

He gently ushered his sister and two brothers in front of him, pulling Rory back by the shoulder and whispering harshly, "This is one of the_ few_ places you're not _banned_ from on this boat, so I _better_ not hear about you starting anything."

It was true. Considering that it was a 'family cruise', there wasn't much to do with the whole family. In fact, over half the things listed were for ages eighteen and up, I.e, bars, stand-up comedy, clubs, etc, and this was the one place Gale could think of that would be 100% suitable for all ages...and guaranteed to keep them in one place.

From the looks of things, though, he wouldn't have to worry about either of his brothers breaking the rules or doing something stupid, as they were too taken with the beautiful story teller. Rory and Vick stood mesmerized by the young woman's smile, or maybe it was something else, he couldn't tell, and they remained motionless until she reached her arms out and coaxed them into the reading room.

"What's your name?" Posy asked.

"My name is Madge," the blonde replied. "See?" She pointed to her nametag, and everyone's gaze suddenly locked on to the plastic rectangular piece.

"How are you?" She asked.

Madge chuckled. "I'm doing good. How are you?"

"Tired and hungry," Posy complained, and Gale chuckled to shut her up.

The_ last_ thing he needed was to be quarantined for bad parenting (or in his case, siblingship) because some_ story_ time reader thought that they were malnourished and badly cared for.

Madge laughed quietly, bending down to his little sister's level. "Well, nice to meet you, Tired and Hungry. ...My, you're dripping wet! Did you go for a swim down at water park earlier?"

Posy paused. After leaving WaterWorks, they ended up stopping at their rooms to go and change, since it was so close by and none of them wanted to be sopping wet. Gale held his breath as his little sister answered,

"Yeah, but we had to quit because I was tired and Gale's feet blister really bad when he-"

"_Okay_, so they'll be fine here if I leave them alone, right?" Gale interrupted, stepping back.

Madge smiled and straightened back up to her full height, which wasn't very much of a difference. "Oh yeah. Story Time lasts for an hour, so, you're free to do whatever you want until then."

"Great. See you in an hour," he said happily, already walking away.

He waved to them, sighing when he was out of earshot, then chuckling giddily to himself. _Finally!_ He was_ free _of those monsters! Now he could go do whatever he wanted without having to worry about being embarrassed or humiliated. ...Now if only he could find something he actually wanted to _do_...

Gale stopped, looking around him.

A sign caught his eye. _Massage Parlor - left._

He was so worn out at the moment from all that water sliding and sun tanning and wet feet scraping against the cement, that he honestly couldn't think of a single thing better to do.

Without giving it another thought, he rounded the corner and turned left.

* * *

**7\. Not-So-Relaxing Massages**

Gale laid down, sighing in contentment.

After he found the massage place, he was quick to strip his shirt and pants, lying comfortably on his stomach after one of the pretty masseuses directed him to an unoccupied table.

There were white, somewhat thin curtains separating each 'room', and he could just barely make out the shape of another person to his left. A woman, he guessed?

As the woman who had brought him in left to get oils and ointments, Gale was already feeling relaxed. He sighed happily, and he turned his head to the right to rest against his arms, when suddenly a curtain was ripped open to his left, the sound ridiculously loud in the quiet room.

Startled, Gale's neck snapped back in the direction he was previously facing, revealing the person lying on the table next to him.

"_You!_" He said accusingly.

Johanna smirked.

She was lying, arms crossed under her chin, naked except for the towel covering her lower half. It was no different than the state of dress Gale was in, except that, on Johanna, it looked extremely different. And awkward.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed, keeping his voice low as he tried to fight the redness flooding up to his face.

She shrugged.

"Same as you. I'm getting a _massage_..." She said that last word with a happy sigh, though he could swear he detected a hint of smugness in her voice.

"The Hell you are. Get out of my room!"

"I'm not _in_ your room," she said mockingly. "See? _In_ your room-"

She grabbed the curtain and pulled it forward, distorting him from view.

"_Not_ in your room."

She pushed it back. "_In_ your room..." She pulled it forward. "_Not_ in your room."

Gale was not amused.

"In...out. In...out. In-"

"_Okay,_ stop it!" He barked, muscles tensing.

He quieted immediately as he realized everyone else currently being tended to had heard, and Johanna giggled at his expense. Her masseuse walked back into the room, soon followed by Gale's.

"Miss?" He asked hopefully, twisting around to face her. "Would it be possible to have this done somewhere else? Somewhere _quieter?_"

The woman shook her head sadly. "No, sorry. All the other rooms are taken."

Dammit.

"Well, then can we please have this woman_ removed?_ She's being a nuisance." He pleaded, not giving up.

"Hey, _I'm_ not the one who was yelling," Johanna replied easily, eyes closed as she enjoyed her back rub.

"Miss, please, I'm _begging_ you, I can _not_ relax in a room with _her_-"

"Maam? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Without opening her eyes, the annoying woman beside him pulled the curtain, closing them off from one another, and Gale reluctantly plopped back down onto the table to let the masseuse do her job.

"Wow, you've got a lot of tension in these shoulders," she remarked.

Gale grumbled. "_Tell_ me about it..."

* * *

**A/N: Well, there's the 2nd chapter. It's a lot longer than the first, so I hope it made up for the lack of updates this past _month_. I ordered a keyboard for my Kindle, so hopefully within the next week I'll be able to update more often as I should.**

**I've been reading The Hunger Games recently (like, two nights ago) and I was surprised to find that Madge was described as being blonde. I don't know why, but I always pictured her as having dark, curly reddish-brown hair. It really messed with how I saw her as a character. Oh well :/**

**Don't hesitate to review, I'd love to read your thoughts...wow, that sounded really creepy. Lol.**

**'Til next time!**


	3. Day Two

**A/N: 11/19/2014 Thought it was about high time I updated this puppy. I DEEPY apologize to ANYONE reading this story, I had a MASSIVE writer's block on this chapter that I just had to finally suck it up and push through.**

**I apologize for any typos. This was really hard to get out D:**

**Reading time: 10-15 mins.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.**

* * *

Chapter three: Day Two~

* * *

Gale awoke with a sigh, eyes blurry with sleep.

He was lying on his stomach, chin hanging off the edge of the bed, covers sprawled this way and that in a rather messy manner. He grumbled, running a hand over his face as he moved to get up. He noticed Katniss sleeping in the bed across from him in much the same way he was, except she was lying on her back with her head hanging off the edge. Her mouth hung open and she snored loudly.

Gale smiled to himself at the sight, trying not to laugh.

He failed.

Katniss' eyes slowly fluttered open, gaze landing on her best friend as he fell to the floor in hysterics.

"What the heck are you laughing about?" She grumbled, rubbing her eyes and letting herself slide out of bed and onto the floor.

"Hahaha, _you!_" He managed to say, clutching his stomach.

"You're weird..." she mumbled, looking at him as he laughed upside down in her vision as she lay on her back.

"Aha...ah, man...I'm sorry, Catnip, but if you coulda just _seen_ yourself! Oh, _man_..."

After a few minutes, Gale's laughter eventually died, and the two friends lay on the floor of their stateroom, staring boredly at the ceiling.

Gale sighed. "So what do you wanna do?"

Katniss exhaled, thinking. "I dunno... What'd you do yesterday?"

He resisted the urge to groan. "Ugh, don't _remind_ me. I had to deal with _Johanna_ while I was trying to get a massage."

Her eyebrows twitched, confused. "You got a massage?"

"Yeah," he said, looking at her. "You didn't?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "I had to deal with _Finnick_ the whole day..."

She covered her eyes in frustration, and Gale couldn't resist poking fun. "Where'd _he_ drag you off to?"

"Ugh, where _didn't_ he drag me off to? I'd be surprised if we haven't explored the whole _ship_ by tomorrow..."

Gale raised an eyebrow at her.

She sighed. "He took me to a club. You know, the ones with lots of music and bright lights and _people?_"

He chuckled at her use of the word 'people', like it was disgusting. "You mean the combination of everything you hate?"

"Actually, I kinda liked it," she said, scrunching her eyebrows together as though she were surprised with herself.

Gale's eyebrows raised. "_Really?_"

"Yeah," she said. "We talked and danced and-"

"Haha, wait," he laughed, cutting her off. "You _danced?_"

She bristled. "Well, don't look so _surprised_."

He just shook his head, slowly moving to get up off the floor. "I'm gonna have to see that..."

Katniss followed suit, straightening her pajamas and reaching for her pillow, half-heartedly hitting him with it.

"Katniss Everdeen, _dancing-_"

"Shut up."

* * *

**1\. Late Breakfast**

They made their way down to the food deck, this time without getting lost beyond hope, and dined happily together in the absence of Gale's family and those who shall not be named.

It was 11:47, so it was no wonder that his parents and siblings weren't there. They had probably eaten at a much earlier time, and were out doing whatever by now.

"_So_," Gale said, taking a heaping bite of his second helping of gourmet eggs. "Wanna do something together?"

Katniss chewed, swallowing as she stared at something behind his head. "I guess. Like what?"

"Well," he said, thinking. "There's lots of stuff. Did you look at the brochure? They've got _shitloads_ of things to do here. We could check out the _comedy club_, the _library_, _internet cafes_, live _music_, the _pools_..."

"What about massages?" Katniss asked.

Gale nearly choked on her question. "_Massages?!_ You want a massage? You _hate_ people touching you! You don't even let _me_ touch you half the time!"

She rolled her eyes. "I _know_ that. That's why I wanna try it. Plus, I wanna see the place you had a disaster at with Johanna."

He cringed at the memory.

"...You know what? Fine. But if I'm gonna go back there, then you're gonna be with me. No matter _how_ much you don't end up liking it."

"Okay, fine."

"Good."

"So we're in agreeance."

"Alright, let's go."

"Let's."

This was going to be something.

* * *

**2\. Creepy Katniss and Secondhand Massages**

"Mmm..._oh_, yeah..."

Gale stared, eyes wide, horrified at the sight before him.

After making their way to the massage parlor (by trial and error, that is) Gale had asked for a couple's massage for himself and Katniss. He was aiming to embarrass her, or at least make her feel sorry for wanting to come there in the first place, but now that it was done, he saw the grievous error in his plan.

Katniss lay on the medical table beside him, eyes closed in absolute bliss as 'Derrick' - one of only five of the ship's male massueses - rubbed her back.

Gale tried to ignore it and enjoy his own massage, but the sound of his friend's moaning was...well, offsetting.

"_Ohh_...Mmhmm..."

Scratch that.

It was damned near freaky.

Gale swallowed, slowly turning his head away as he tried to ignore the scariest thing he had ever experienced.

* * *

**4\. Ditching **

"So where do you want to go next?" Katniss asked, smiling with a blissful glow as she walked beside him on their way out of the massage parlor.

Gale gave her a sideways glance, trying to keep his expression as one of relaxation rather than horror.

"Uh...y-you know, I think I'm just gonna hang out at the...um, yoga place. I- I don't think that massage did anything for me."

Katniss wrinkled her nose. "_Yoga?_ You're into that?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Yes! Yes I am. It's actually pretty relaxing. You should come."

"Er, no thanks. I'm just gonna go back to my room and order room service. Maybe go for a swim."

"You mean _our_ room," he corrected.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Gale grinned.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

**5\. Yoga**

As promised, Gale made his way to the yoga and relaxation area.

Well, he supposed he hadn't really _promised_ anything, but still, he wanted to be legitimate about the whole thing. He said he was going, so he was. Simple as that. And besides, maybe this place would be more relaxing than the massage parlor (with any luck, it would be).

Gale stepped into one of the open rooms, noticing a group of people stretching on yoga mats.

There were only a handful of empty mats, and the instructor - a fit woman with long, dark hair - greeted him.

"Hello. I'm Enobaria." Her canines flashed. "We're just starting, so go ahead and grab a mat."

There were only a handful of empty mats, and he wasn't too big on crowds, but Gale made his way over anyway, stepping around the others seated on the floor and trying not to crush anyone's fingers or toes.

He sat down on the mat in the far corner in hopes his large frame wouldn't be in anyone's way.

So far, so good.

"Alright," Enobaria said. "We're gonna start by doing the Lotus Position. Everyone sit down and cross your legs, but keep both feet facing upward, like this." She folded her legs, but instead of tucking one under the other, she kept them both even, keeping her feet skyward on either side of her hips.

Gale mirrored the position as best he could, and as he felt his leg muscles stretch and ache and burn, he wasn't so sure this was such a good idea. He had yet to feel any 'relaxing vibes'.

"And then we're gonna go like this." The yoga instructor placed her hands flat on the mat on either side of her, and slowly pushed, lifting herself up.

Gale's eyes bulged, but tried to do the same nonetheless.

He placed both hands on the mat beside him and attempted to lift himself off the floor. He was successful, but he wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to hold the position. Hopefully they didn't need to do this for long.

"And we're gonna stay like that for a full minute," Enobaria said, and Gale's jaw nearly dropped. Her eyes landed on something behind him, and she tilted her head up and smiled in greeting. "Oh. How nice of you to join us again."

Gale felt a presence behind him, but didn't bother looking as he was trying to keep himself off the mat.

"Thanks," they said, and he froze.

He knew that voice.

"Hey, _buddy_," they said, addressing him.

Gale slowly lowered himself onto the mat and twisted around.

Johanna Mason stood above him, smirking.

"You're in my spot."

Dammit.

* * *

**5\. Yoga Partners**

"Okay, now face your partner...okay, _great_, everybody. Hold it, hold it."

Gale's jaw clenched as Enobaria instructed them on a new position, an _easy_ one this time, and he stared angrily at the woman on the mat in front of him. After switching mats, Enobaria put everyone into pairs. And surprise, surprise, she'd put him and the woman of his nightmares together.

He sat on his yoga mat and stretched his leg above his head, using his hand to keep it steady.

Johanna was the first to speak. "Isn't it funny how we keep meeting like this?"

Gale ground his teeth. "Like what?" he snapped, keeping his voice in a whisper.

"Oh, you know," she said, keeping her leg elevated. "Me, already doing something, and you, just _happening_ to want to do the thing I'm already doing, and us running into each other even though you hate me...it's just funny."

"I beg to differ," he muttered, looking away from her.

"Yeah, well...I don't." Johanna smiled broadly at him, bending her raised knee (which was _far_ more flexible than his) and tickling the end of his nose with her foot.

"Got your nose!"

Gale could only stare.

* * *

**6\. Tag-Along**

"So where are you headed to now?"

Gale groaned, rolling his eyes as he walked out of the yoga class with Johanna (involuntarily, of course) and put his phone away in his pocket. His parents had texted him and asked him to meet them over at the bar and grill for a late lunch. He wanted to go, of course. He just didn't want to go with _her_.

"Gee, I dunno," he said sarcastically. "I was actually thinking of going to the bar and grill! Doesn't that sound _fun?_"

Johanna smiled from behind him, keeping up with his fast pace. "Ooh, that _does_ sound like fun! And funny thing, I was just going to suggest that if you didn't. Isn't _that_ funny?"

Gale stopped in his tracks, turning around to face her. Her eyebrows lifted expectantly, and he had to stop himself from snatching her up and tossing her over the nearest deck as her mouth twitched up in a smirk. That _little, _annoying_ smirk_.

He ran his hands over his face, exhaling dramatically as he brought them down into a praying position, as though to plead with her.

"_Look_," he said. "I'm not gonna lie. _I don't like you._ I don't like that I have to _work_ with you, I don't like that I have to share my _vacation_ with you, and I _really_ don't like that you're deliberately trying to ruin it for me. Now, I'm going to that bar and grill to meet up with my family, and I'm not going to stop you from doing the same. But if you screw this up for me in _any_ way, so help me, I will _fffflip_ out on you. Understand?"

Johanna smiled, and patted his shoulder. "Got it. Now let's go eat."

His shoulders sagged.

So much for that plan.

* * *

**7\. The Bar and Grill**

The bar and grill was a very nice place.

Tiled floors, good lighting, great tables, nice people, televisions at every corner...he could live with that.

"Well are you gonna _move_ or are we gonna just stand here all day?"

Gale closed his eyes, clenching his jaw.

Nevermind.

Glancing back at the annoying woman behind him, he grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her through the crowds of kids and waiters and people, looking for his family.

"There they are."

He looked over, following Johanna's pointed finger over to a booth in the corner.

Yep. That was his family, alright.

Shifting his grip from her forearm to her wrist, Gale dragged her with him and over to the booth where his parents and siblings were seated. His father was the first to notice him.

"Gale, hey, you're just in time! We haven't even ordered yet." He glanced behind him at Johanna. "And you brought Johanna too! Great! Sit down, sit down."

Giving her a pointed you-better-not-eff-this-up glare, Gale guided her over to the booth, letting her sit down first and then sliding in beside her.

Rory snickered at him from across the table.

Gale, being in no mood to be messed with, swiftly kicked his brother's shin under the table, earning a well-deserved yelp from his-

"OW!"

-Mom?

His eyes widened, face frozen in shock as he made to apologize.

"Aw, gee, mom. I'm sorry..."

"What in the world is your problem, son?" his father scolded as he wrapped his arms comfortingly around his wife's shoulders.

"Yeah, _Gale_," Rory provoked. "What's your _problem?_"

Pursing his lips, Gale gave another kick, this one hitting its intended target, and hid his smirk of satisfaction as his brother yelped in pain.

Just then, he glanced over, doing a double-take as he spotted Katniss. And not _just_ Katniss. Katniss and Finnick. _Together_...in the same room.

Smirking to himself, Gale raised a hand to get their attention. "Hey, guys! Over here!"

Glancing up, Katniss and Finnick spotted them, one looking very relieved and the other very disappointed, and began making their way over.

Katniss slid into the booth next to Gale, followed by a reluctant but nevertheless flirty Finnick.

"_Thank_ you," she whispered gratefully in his ear.

Gale grinned, shaking his head. "No problem."

At least he wouldn't have to suffer alone.

* * *

**8\. Movie, Anyone?**

As it turned out, Johanna kept her sort-of-promise.

She hadn't said anything awkward or embarrassing to humiliate him in front of his family, and with Katniss there to back him up, the hour-and-a-half they spent eating and talking became bearable.

Of course, that was then.

This was now, and right now they were at one of the ship's movie theaters, compliments of their 'family fun package', and Gale was currently trying his best not to reach over and strangle the stripe-haired woman in the seat next to him.

She just couldn't keep her mouth shut! They were nearly half an hour into the film and all she'd done was talk the entire time!

5 minutes into the film - "_Oh_, my _God_. Those special effects are so _terrible_. Look, you can _totally_ tell that's a green screen."

8 minutes into the film - "That is the _dumbest_ thing I've ever seen."

12 minutes into the film - "This is stupid. Why are we watching this?"

20 minutes into the film - "Gay!"

Now - "Can you _believe_ that? She's just gonna let him _walk away?_ If it were me, I'd-"

"If I were _you_," Katniss said, leaning over Gale to glare at her. "I'd keep my _mouth shut_ and watch the movie."

Johanna stared at her, expression one of admiration (probably because she hadn't expected her to speak up about it) as Gale stared between the two as one would stare at a ticking bomb, waiting for it to go off. Although, to be honest he was proud of Katniss too. After all, she'd beat him to the punch.

"Oh, yeah?" Johanna shot back. "Well, if I were _you_, _I_ would-"

"Excuse me, ladies," a bright light shone on them, blocking their view of the screen before coming down to reveal a security guard. "Is there a problem?"

Both girls answered simultaneously.

"Yes."

"Nope."

Clearly lost on what to do, he looked to Gale for help.

"Uh...we're fine," he assured, smiling.

The guard sighed, rolling his eyes with a hesitant but exhausted, "_Okay_..." and walked off.

Seeing he was out of sight, Gale dropped his smile and pushed Katniss back into her seat, turning his head and looking sternly at Johanna.

"...What?" she asked, brows pinched in confusion.

Shaking his head and pursing his lips to keep _himself_ from getting kicked out, he merely turned his attention back to the screen.

Beside him, Katniss squeezed his hand, probably more for her _own_ anger than for his, and the two friends spent the rest of the movie dealing with Johanna's smart remarks on the right and Finnick's nonstop flirting on the left.

* * *

**9\. Night-Night**

Katniss and Gale stumbled into their stateroom, leaving the lights off as they trudged over to their beds, mentally exhausted.

They both collapsed onto their respective mattresses, not bothering to waste any energy changing into their pajamas, as Gale began to quietly exclaim,

"Oh..."

Katniss joined in. "My..."

They finished simultaneously.

"_God_."

They were both out like lights before either one could say anything else on the matter of either Finnick's advances or Johanna's loud state of mind.

* * *

**A/N: I hope it was okay, but even if it wasn't don't hesitate to let me know. I have a _vague_ sense of where I'm going with this and what's gonna happen, but if you have ANY suggestions, _any at all_, you let me know O_O**

**Can't say when the next update will be, but hopefully shorter than this one D:**

**'Til next time!**


End file.
